Acheron to Hanmer Springs

Calm.

It was calm when I woke. I could hear the distant Clarence river rolling its way south, the same mountain ramble we would take towards Hanmer Springs.

Getting up wasn’t easy. Black tea to go with my dehydrated goodness the night before wasn’t the smartest. I crawled out of bed and packed. It was still calm.

We made our way over the bridge from Acheron then south, straddling the ribbon road across the valley floor left of the Clarence. We rode on in silence to match the quiet of the morning. The rumble of the river, matched only by the crunch of tire over tread.

Within an hour we turned off the Clarence up over Jollies pass, then there it was laid out like a table in front of us – the destination. We looked on in silence over the expansive valley with Hanmer tucked snug into the cradle of the wooded spur below. We’d done it.

After a time Horse broke the silence with a rasp of a ballard…

“Now the waitress said,
Eggs and sausage and a side of toast,
Coffee and a roll, hash browns over easy,
Chile in a bowl,
With burgers and fries,
What kind of pie?
In a graveyard charade, a late shift masquerade…”

Horse is good for finding the right thing to say at the right moment.

It was time to go and half an hour later after descending 300m we placed our orders.

It was our day off. Connections, hot pools, rest and of course breakfast.

Today’s top track: Eggs and sausage – Tom Waits